scholarly journals Decolonising ideas of healing in medical education

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amali U Lokugamage ◽  
Tharanika Ahillan ◽  
S D C Pathberiya
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Medical Pluralism ◽  
Cultural Humility ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
University College ◽  
Generational Trauma ◽  
University College London

The legacy of colonial rule has permeated into all aspects of life and contributed to healthcare inequity. In response to the increased interest in social justice, medical educators are thinking of ways to decolonise education and produce doctors who can meet the complex needs of diverse populations. This paper aims to explore decolonising ideas of healing within medical education following recent events including the University College London Medical School’s Decolonising the Medical Curriculum public engagement event, the Wellcome Collection’s Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian Medicine exhibition and its symposium on Decolonising Health, SOAS University of London’s Applying a Decolonial Lens to Research Structures, Norms and Practices in Higher Education Institutions and University College London Anthropology Department’s Flourishing Diversity Series. We investigate implications of ‘recentring’ displaced indigenous healing systems, medical pluralism and highlight the concept of cultural humility in medical training, which while challenging, may benefit patients. From a global health perspective, climate change debates and associated civil protests around the issues resonate with indigenous ideas of planetary health, which focus on the harmonious interconnection of the planet, the environment and human beings. Finally, we look further at its implications in clinical practice, addressing the background of inequality in healthcare among the BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) populations, intersectionality and an increasing recognition of the role of inter-generational trauma originating from the legacy of slavery. By analysing these theories and conversations that challenge the biomedical view of health, we conclude that encouraging healthcare educators and professionals to adopt a ‘decolonising attitude’ can address the complex power imbalances in health and further improve person-centred care.

scholarly journals Virtual vs online: an insight from medical students (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahil Kaini ◽  
Lucinda Zahrah Motie
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
University College ◽  
University College London ◽  
Virtual Teaching ◽  
Key Terms

UNSTRUCTURED COVID-19 has changed the landscape of medical education and it has brought virtual teaching to the forefront. As fifth year medical students studying at University College London (UCL), we understand the importance of virtual teaching in medical education and therefore we commend Wilcha for carrying out a systematic review to analyse its strengths and weaknesses. However, we would like to discuss a criticism we have of the literature search that was conducted. We believe the key terms used were too narrow. Subsequently, this has limited the amount of literature which was reviewed, the content of the review and the reliability of the studies used.

An Uncertain Enterprise: Learning to Heal in the Enlightenment

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Neville Bonner
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Industrial Change ◽  
Medical Study ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Institutions

There was no more turbulent yet creative time in the history of medical study than the latter years of the eighteenth century. During this troubled era, familiar landmarks in medicine were fast disappearing; new ideas about medical training were gaining favor; the sites of medical education were rapidly expanding; and the variety of healers was growing in every country. Student populations, too, were undergoing important changes; governments were shifting their role in medicine, especially in the continental nations; and national differences in educating doctors were becoming more pronounced. These transformations are the subject of the opening chapters of this book. These changes in medical education were a reflection of the general transformation of European society, education, and politics. By the century’s end, the whole transatlantic world was in the grip of profound social and political movement. Like other institutions, universities and medical schools were caught up in a “period of major institutional restructuring” as new expectations were placed on teachers and students. Contemporaries spoke of an apocalyptic sense of an older order falling and new institutions fighting for birth, and inevitably the practice of healing was also affected. From the middle of the century, the nations of Europe and their New World offspring had undergone a quickening transformation in their economic activity, educational ideas, and political outlook. By 1800, in the island kingdom of Great Britain, the unprecedented advance of agricultural and industrial change had pushed that nation into world leadership in manufacturing, agricultural productivity, trade, and shipping. Its population growth exceeded that of any continental state, and in addition, nearly three-fourths of all new urban growth in Europe was occurring in the British Isles. The effects on higher education were to create a demand for more practical subjects, modern languages, and increased attention to the needs of the thriving middle classes. Although Oxford and Cambridge, the only universities in England, were largely untouched by the currents of change, the Scottish universities, by contrast, were beginning to teach modern subjects, to bring practical experience into the medical curriculum, and to open their doors to a wider spectrum of students.

Teaching Sociocultural Psychiatry Throughout the Lifespan

2019 ◽  
pp. 245-260
Author(s):  
Priya Sehgal ◽  
Maya Nauphal ◽  
Justin A. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Cultural Humility ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
And Training ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Minority

In response to persistent and growing health disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States, health care institutions have started to enhance cultural competency education and training in both health care organizations and medical education. This effort to integrate culture into professional guidelines and training curricula has been consistent among the psychiatric workforce over the last few decades. While these efforts to address mental health disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups are welcomed, much more work is needed to integrate sociocultural education into medical training. This chapter describes the evolution of sociocultural medical education from teaching cultural competence to cultural humility, with its opportunities and challenges. Using a case-based approach, the authors propose general principles from existing curricula that can help psychiatric faculty design and teach sociocultural curricula for psychiatry trainees in diverse settings.

Integrating Evolutionary Biology into Medical Education

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Evolutionary Medicine ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Female Reproduction ◽  
Teaching Aids

Clinicians and scientists are increasingly recognising the importance of an evolutionary perspective in studying the aetiology, prevention, and treatment of human disease; the growing prominence of genetics in medicine is further adding to the interest in evolutionary medicine. In spite of this, too few medical students or residents study evolution. This book builds a compelling case for integrating evolutionary biology into undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, as well as its intrinsic value to medicine. Chapter by chapter, the authors – experts in anthropology, biology, ecology, physiology, public health, and various disciplines of medicine – present the rationale for clinically-relevant evolutionary thinking. They achieve this within the broader context of medicine but through the focused lens of maternal and child health, with an emphasis on female reproduction and the early-life biochemical, immunological, and microbial responses influenced by evolution. The tightly woven and accessible narrative illustrates how a medical education that considers evolved traits can deepen our understanding of the complexities of the human body, variability in health, susceptibility to disease, and ultimately help guide treatment, prevention, and public health policy. However, integrating evolutionary biology into medical education continues to face several roadblocks. The medical curriculum is already replete with complex subjects and a long period of training. The addition of an evolutionary perspective to this curriculum would certainly seem daunting, and many medical educators express concern over potential controversy if evolution is introduced into the curriculum of their schools. Medical education urgently needs strategies and teaching aids to lower the barriers to incorporating evolution into medical training. In summary, this call to arms makes a strong case for incorporating evolutionary thinking early in medical training to help guide the types of critical questions physicians ask, or should be asking. It will be of relevance and use to evolutionary biologists, physicians, medical students, and biomedical research scientists.

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